prechelt@ira.uka.de (Lutz Prechelt) writes:: I would say that every language which is (almost?) ALWAYS interpreted: instead of compiled can be called a scripting language.:: The two terms are not orthogonal, though:: For instance sed and perl are both scripting languages in the above: sense, but I would not speak of sed as a programming language.: Perl, on the other hand, clearly is one.:: And the borderlines are also not sharp:: Think of Common Lisp which nobody would call a scripting languages,: although it is at most partially compiled.

True.

The linguistic origin of these fuzzy sets is the theatre. A script is
something you're trying to learn while the playwright is still whacking
on it, whereas a program is something you hand out to the audience. :-)

4GL just means a language that is too immature to be mistaken for a 3GL.